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Missouri Legislator Pushing For Gluten-Free Shampoo Labels

Jefferson Adams

Jefferson Adams is a freelance writer living in San Francisco. His poems, essays and photographs have appeared in Antioch Review, Blue Mesa Review, CALIBAN, Hayden's Ferry Review, Huffington Post, the Mississippi Review, and Slate among others.

He is a member of both the National Writers Union, the International Federation of Journalists, and covers San Francisco Health News for Examiner.com.

Celiac.com 04/09/2013 - A legislator in Missouri, Rep. Vicky Englund is pushing a bill that requires manufacturers and wholesalers of hygiene products like shampoo and conditioner to clearly state on the product label whether or not the product contains gluten.

According to CBS St. Louis, Rep. Englund was moved to act after hearing from a constituent who suffers from gluten intolerance.

The woman had got gluten "out of her diet completely, but was still very ill and almost died,” Englund said. After considerable detective work, the woman eventually discovered that her shampoo contained gluten.

A study by the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center and another by George Washington University show that many commercial health and beauty products contain gluten. The latter study, done in 2012 showed that people gluten sensitivity could react negative reactions to ingredients such as the wheat germ oil often used to produce Vitamin E.

Englund’s bill is currently pending before the state’s House Health Care Policy Committee. What do you think? Is this a good idea? Let us know what you think about mandating gluten status on shampoo and conditioner labels by sharing your comments below.

20 Responses:

This is an excellent move and one that needs to be made. I for one, am tired of suffering when I am physically doing all that I can to avoid gluten in my diet. My skin is an organ too! My liver attempts to help detox, but it is fatty... yet I do good to maintain a weight of 100 pounds! Consumers have the right to know all of the ingredients rather than it remains a guessing game. I have eliminated all "known" sources of gluten, yet still struggle to maintain optimal health. This is an excellent move, so that those afflicted with celiac disease and/or other sensitivities will know what they are being exposed to. It is our right to know!!

I applaud this move and I think the bill should go a step further and require all lotions and makeup to disclose gluten in their products. I frequently have slight gluten symptoms even though I never intentionally ingest gluten. It would be a shame if Missouri was the only state to adopt theses laws.

I am so pleased to see that Missouri is jumping on this situation. All labels should be written in simple terms so that even a child can read them whether the product is to be ingested or put on the skin. We need to help this representative get this passed, not only for celiacs but for others that have reaction to foods that are in lotions, etc.

I take full responsibility to ensure that I do not ingest gluten, and have found two companies that produce gluten-free shampoo/conditioner and cosmetics that I like. I've been diagnosed for about ten years, and the elimination process has been frequented by trial and error... and symptoms. Product labeling would help. Unfortunately, I wonder how many years it would even take to enact the proposed labeling bill. Change moves slowly for celiac patients.

Hi Tricia. My name is Michelle and I am the constituent of Vicki Englund to whom the article refers. I have found gluten-free shampoo and lip gloss at Sephora, but only at the mall stores, not at Sephora in JC Penney stores. The Sephora store near me also has knowledgeable sales people, SO IMPORTANT! In addition to shampoo, I found out that my day and night face moisturizers from The Body Shop contained gluten. I returned my unused product and they were very nice about exchanging it for gluten-free products, the "aloe" day and night moisturizers. Best of luck to you!

It's good to have as much info as possible so consumers can make their own decisions. But there seems to be some debate among experts as to whether or not gluten can be absorbed through skin from lotions, shampoos etc. I would be much more interested in a law that required prescription and OTC drug manufacturers to label their products gluten-free or not.

I have been told that Dove shampoo and conditioner do not contain gluten. Also, Costco puts gluten-free on their Kirkland brand shampoo and conditioner. I have tried in vain to contact many beauty product companies about gluten in their products and have been told they can't tell me, but to ask my doctor. Ha!! I have not found a doctor in my area that barely understands celiac disease, let alone what products contain gluten. I am much in favor of this pending bill and hopefully it will be taken-up nationwide. Good luck Rep Englund.

This is fabulous and so needed! I was breaking out badly under my eyes and finally found out my concealer had been reformulated and now contained gluten. It is very hard to find out if gluten is in any of the ingredients in makeup. Some of them I have no idea what they are, and it is the same with shampoos and lotions. I have had to call every company. Sometimes they have to research it themselves. I am so happy to hear of this bill. I hope it passes and paves the way for similar in other states.

Yes, shampoo and conditioners have been a concern for quite some time. I develop ear aches when the product gets into the ear while rinsing the hair.Helpful hint is to use leave in conditioners and there is no rinsing to get the product into the ears. I have bumps on the scalp. Is it from gluten?

Lip stick is a real problem. Manufacturers need to disclose if the product is gluten-free and manufactured in a gluten-free environment right on the packaging, as all products should be required by law to disclose on packaging.

I am completely in agreement with all the preceding comments. At the moment it is almost impossible to read some ingredient lists as letters are so small, let alone understand all the chemical additives. Plain language please; if I can't understand/read what it says then I just don't buy it!

I'm glad Rep. Englund is working to help people with celiac disease. It's hard enough to watch for gluten in foods, even harder in cosmetics and toiletries. Having clear, concise labeling would be a big step forward.

I agree with everything everyone says. It's about time that people with celiac disease don't suffer anymore. We are also human and have the right to live well. The government should acknowledge us and stop playing games.

As far as I'm concerned, all states should enact this on all products and not just gluten. People have many different allergies/intolerances, and labeling should be accurate and in large enough print to read without a magnifying glass. Of course, that idiotic 20% and still gluten-free will become an issue for me with this labeling just as it is with food. It's a start! How about labeling how many ppm and let buyer beware and be safe!

I just wanted to let everyone know that my HB 549 will be heard in Committee tomorrow. If you have any personal experiences with shampoo, conditioner or other personal care items, please email me your stories at: Vicki.englund@house.mo.gov. I would love to share your stories and need them by noon on Wednesday, May 1st, central time. Thank you!Representative Vicki Englund

This is a FANTASTIC move by representative Englund, and so desperately needed by so many that need to avoid gluten. There are a number of companies that do label their products gluten free that I have found at whole foods-shampoo, conditioner, liquid body soaps and lotions. It's great not to wondering if gluten is or isn't in the products we use. I think it time for a bill like representative Englund's to be passed.